E-bibliotherapy for Informal Caregivers of People With Dementia
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
The objective of this study is to test the efficacy of e-bibliotherapy on improving the psychological well-being of informal caregivers of people with dementia as compared with a control group.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Detailed Description
This project is a two-arm randomized controlled trial evaluating the effects of e-bibliotherapy on improving the psychological well-being of informal caregivers of people with dementia. One hundred and ninety-two informal caregivers of people with dementia will be recruited. Participants in the intervention group will receive eight weekly e-bibliotherapy sessions. The control group will get access to the same e-bibliotherapy app but accept only general daily living knowledge. Psychological well-being, caregiving appraisal, mental health, biomarker of stress, and health-related quality of life will be measured to test the effects of e-bibliotherapy immediately post-intervention, three months post-intervention, and six months post-intervention. Focus group interviews will be conducted immediately post-intervention to explore caregivers' experiences participating in this study.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Intervention group Eight weekly sessions of e-bibliotherapy. Participants in the intervention group will use the e-bibliotherapy app we develop, and accept e-bibliotherapy via the app. |
Other: E-bibliotherapy
Participants in the intervention group will accept eight weekly sessions of e-bibliotherapy. The e-bibliotherapy will be delivered via the e-bibliotherapy app we develop and includes eight e-bibliotherapy sessions, each focusing on one active component that may affect a caregiver's mental well-being.
|
| Sham Comparator: Control group Eight weekly sessions of self-learning of general daily living knowledge that this different from the intervention contents from the same e-bibliotherapy app. |
Other: Control
The control group will give access to the same e-bibliotherapy app, but only be authorized to access general daily living knowledge that is different from the intervention contents. They will also be asked to finish a session each week for eight weeks.
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Changes on psychological well-being [Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, three and six-month post-intervention]
Psychological well-being will be measured by the Chinese version of Ryff's Psychological Well-being Scale. It is a 6-point Likert scale with 1=strongly disagree to 6=totally agree. It includes 18 items. A higher score indicates better psychological well-being.
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Changes on caregiving appraisal [Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, three and six-month post-intervention]
Caregiving appraisal will be measured by the Chinese version of the Caregiving Appraisal Scale. It is a 5-point Likert scale (1=extremly disagree, 5=strongly agree) including 26 items. Higher scores indicate more positive caregiving appraisal.
- Changes on mental health [Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, three and six-month post-intervention]
Mental health will be measured by the Chinese version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). DASS-21 is a 4-point Likert scale (0=totally unfit my condition, 3=very fit my condition). It includes 21 items. Higher scores indicate worse mental health problems.
- Changes on biomarker of stress [Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, three and six-month post-intervention]
Saliva cortisol concentration will be used.
- Changes on health-related quality of life [Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, three and six-month post-intervention]
Health-related quality of life will be measured by the 12-item Short Form Survey (SF-12). SF-12 includes 12 items. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better physical and mental health functioning.
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
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primary caregivers aged 18 or above;
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provide unpaid regular care to a person with mild to moderately severe dementia (measured by Global Deterioration Scale, GDS=4~6);
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have cared for the care recipient for at least six months;
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assist with at least one of the care recipient's daily activities;
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use a smartphone or tablet;
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can read Chinese.
Exclusion Criteria:
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caregivers with unstable physical or mental conditions;
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have cognitive impairment;
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are undergoing acute treatment or have not yet stabilized on their chronic medication;
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are involved in another interventional study
Contacts and Locations
Locations
No locations specified.Sponsors and Collaborators
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Health and Medical Research Fund
Investigators
None specified.Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- HSEARS20221020009